When I start to feel lost, I write. But, I don’t always want to write for my current project, whatever that may be. For example, I’ve been writing my sci-fi western story for over a year, now. While I’ve enjoyed that story and the way it’s led me up new paths for storytelling, sometimes, I just want to write something simple, something for me. My “Finding Mister Wright” universe allows me that.
This most recent vignette looks at the original Mister Wright, Daniel. Daniel’s story, mainly how he related to the Rob+Paige show, should have been my 2013 NaNoWriMo story. For reasons I won’t go into here, that particular story never came to fruition. It found its way into Marshall‘s story a little bit over a month later, when I wrote what became “Finding Mister Wright” over winter break 2013.
This particular free-write – “Daddies and Daughters” – takes place about a year or so after the last FMW short story (“Romance in the Dark“), for anyone interested or paying attention. It runs about 2500 words, which comes out to 8 1/2 pages in its PDF form:
As always, the link will take you to the PDF. You are as welcome to read it as you are welcome to skip it. I know I wrote it, and I know I like it, and that’s what matters to me with these free-writes.
My writing is a living, breathing, growing thing. It’s not often I go a day without writing something related to this or that story universe. I’m sure it makes me more than a little bit introverted, more than a little bit selfish, and much more than a little bit obsessive. Yet, in comparison to other ways a person could go, story-making isn’t such a terrible addiction to have. But, I would say that, wouldn’t I?
[Extraneous author’s note: Lilly is named, perhaps subconsciously on Marshall’s part, for Sister Lillian, introduced in the vignette “Namesake.” Marshall first calls Lilly “Lilly-put” (like the Gulliver island, because, like all babies, she’s small) in the vignette “Romance in the Dark.” Here, Paige has shortened that nickname once again to “putt-putt”…which I just found adorable and had to put in. See? Craziness.]
I alwasy love reading your home and family peices like this. It’s not like I’m just reading words on a page, it’s more like an experience of senses and just what could have been for myself and others.
Paige really is a champion, in more ways than one. Such a split house has been known to utterly corrupt such impressionable little ones, but I’m glad to see her shine.
Hope everything is going well with you, sounds like things have been busy. Sorry I’ve been gone for a while, I think I’ve been around the world six times and only now have found a spot to root. With luck, you’ll be seeing me dust off my page and give it life again soon.
Awesome work as always!
Love this: ‘Yet, in comparison to other ways a person could go, story-making isn’t such a terrible addiction to have.’
Took a peek at your piece and I have to say the dialogue is really alive. It’s not an easy thing to get dialogue to sound so natural, but you’ve managed it!
I can tell how much time and effort you put into these scenes. You really dig into them, and you get everything you can out of them. I see it with your early drafts as well as revisions. I can see that you love love love love writing.
You have the teenager lingo nailed. I love the ‘totally’, ‘like’, ‘you know’. She sounds exactly like a teen who is nervous, excited, and likely wants everything to run smoothly despite the tension in the group. I like the end of that section, where Paige tells the camerawoman that Daniel is her dad. I thought that was a neat moment, and so perfect after the earlier blow-up.
Glad to hear you’ve been able to settle in somewhere for a while! It makes a world of difference, doesn’t it, to know you’ll come *home* to the same place for the duration.
“Home” and “family” are the primary themes of this particular universe, so it’s where I go when I need to retreat a bit. These characters are strong and happy and loving, which means they’ll never be salable, but that’s okay. Not every story has to be about sales potential. In fact, I don’t think I’d want the “Finding Mister Wright” world to be that way. That’s probably my writerly conceit of wanting to protect my babies showing through, but I’m fine with that. 🙂
Thanks, Gabriela. 🙂 That argument doesn’t always work for me, especially when I scuttle away into my writer’s cave to plot and transcribe. I can say, “At least I’m not a wino or a drug addict!” only so many times to get out of doing the dishes. LOL!
Thanks, Kate!
I sometimes wonder if I love the writing itself too much. I like revising, too – I’m still trying to figure out that sci-fi story you critiqued for me – but my heart isn’t as much in that piece. For stories I’m really attached to, maybe, but so many I just finish and tuck away and that’s the end of it. I’ve started to understand that’s okay for a lot of what I write. Yes, I want to have that big story to share with the world, and I’m slowly working through it for a submission draft. But, I love being able to take little breathers like with this world of stories, too. I like to think it’s a form of honing my craft without being stuck in the exact same story all the time. Or, maybe I’m just lazy. 😀